President Donald Trump has selected pro-life David Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drawing praise from medical freedom advocates and social conservatives.

Dr. David Weldon is a former Florida congressman, Army veteran, and medical doctor. Throughout his time in Congress, he supported pro-life legislation, spoke out in support of Terri Schiavo, and advocated for vaccine safety.

President Trump called Dr. Weldon a "respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues" and mentioned he "worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos," in a post on Truth Social on Friday.

Weldon's accomplishments in Congress include the still-in-force Weldon Amendment. It prohibits local, state, and federal entities from requiring health insurance plans to cover abortion if they receive taxpayer dollars.

He also wrote the bipartisan "Terri's Law" to protect Terri Schiavo and her parents in ensuring her right to food and water. Her "estranged husband" and his mistress wanted to remove Schiavo's feeding tubes.

Wesley Smith, a prominent opponent of euthanasia and assisted suicide, explained Weldon's role in a recent article for National Review. "Terri was never diagnosed as brain dead, which is legally deceased," Smith confirmed. "She was either in a persistent or minimally conscious condition, which is very much alive."

"Weldon's bill was among the most bipartisan laws passed during the George W. Bush presidency," he wrote, emphasizing the bipartisan nature. "In the House of Representatives, 45 percent of the House Democratic caucus who voted supported the bill. It received unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate, including from Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Tom Harkin (who was a prime mover in support of the bill), Harry Reid, and Dianne Feinstein, etc. If only one senator had objected, the bill would have failed, but none did."

Weldon's pick earned the praise of Megan Basham, a pro-life reporter for The Daily Wire.

"Trump's pick to head the CDC, Dr. David Weldon, has a strong record of supporting the rights of the unborn and promoting religious conscience rights regarding abortion," she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "This goes along with DOGE announcing it will recommend cutting off federal funding to Planned Parenthood and signals from Trump transition team that they plan to appoint pro-lifers to offices high in HHS."